Sustainability

We aim to recycle the majority of waste generated on the property:

Food scraps - feed the pigs and chickens

Glass / Plastics / Paper - recycle in marked bins

Aluminium can ring pulls - collect and donate to make wheel chairs

Aluminium cans - crush and recycle

Queensland is single use plastic bag free - we encourage the use of cloth bags and reusable plastic bags by offering a collection point for spare bags for other people to use.

Queensland has a container deposit scheme - essentially a refund when you return glass or plastic bottles.  We recycle these bottles and cans separately.

Water
We collect rainwater off the rooves and treat it by UV filtration for drinking and household use.  We have a bore as backup for dry periods.  .

The biggest user of water is flushing the toilet, and that's just good water down the drain, so we've gone for Clivus Multrum waterless composting toilets.  The modern version uses microbes and organisms to break down waste and literally turns it into compost that can go back into the ground. 

Greywater treatment

People generate a significant amount of 'grey water' from showers, washing machines, and taps.  This is treated on site through an Advanced Enviro-septic System which filters the water through pipes and organism-containing matting, and then filters it again through sand.  

Solar

Electricity is the single biggest cost of running the business so we have just added 19.6 kilowatts of solar generation to our initial 5.2kilowatts   to reduce our energy demands. That means all our electricity use is covered by equivalent solar generation! All our electrical fittings are energy saving and you can do your bit too by switching off lights, and unplugging appliances as soon as they are charged.